The research examines the relationship between social experience and psychological well-being. It looks at the enduring problems people encounter in their daily lives as workers and family members, at the gain and loss of roles as the life-cycle unfolds, and at sudden, unexpected crises that often confront people. Each of these types of experience is examined in relation to symptoms of emotional distress. Data for the study were collected at two points in time. In 1972 a sample of 2300 people, representative of the Chicago Urbanized Area were interviewed, and a sub-sample (1200) of this group was interviewed in 1976-77. Analyses have been made to identify the events that are particularly likely to result in emotional distress, and to understand how people use psychological and social resources to cope with the problems and vicissitudes of life.